Improvement in game apparatus



F. E. NUTTING.

GAME APPARATUS.

No. 191,169 P atented May 22,1877.

ITED sTA'IES PATENT QFFIcn FREEMAN E. NUTTING, OF FLORENCE, MASSACHUSETTS.

-IMPROVEM'ENT IN GAME APPARATUS.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No.'l9l,l69, dated May 22, 1877; application filed February 20, 1877.

T 0 all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, FREEMAN E. .NUTTING, of Florence, in the county of Hampshire and State of Massachusetts, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Games; and I do hereby declare thefollowing to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it pertains to make and use it, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, which form part of this specification.

My invention relates to an improved game apparatus, having its features built upon the principle of the game of checkers, and intended to add to checkers a zeal and increased interest in its playing, and at the sametime to cultivate quick arithmetical habits in the players, espeeially'iu addin g and carrying figures in ones head.

It consists in numbering the operating squares of a checker-board on the respectively two opposing sides of the board, so that the said squares may bear on their faces figures having a common divisor, the opposing checker-men being correspondingly numbered, so that the respective number of each of the twelve men on either side may be capable, under multiplication by this determined common factor, to correspond in multiplicand to one of the numbered squares upon the board.

The drawings represent a checker-board made according to my invention, and showing the game in progress. The board is made as an ordinary checker-board, but having figures marked in the upper right-hand corner of each of the playing-squares. These figures commence with the numeral live in the extreme left-hand square of each of the front rows of operating squares on each of the two opposing sides of the board.

The numbers continue under a common increased factor of five along said front" rows, and then commencing with the second row at its extreme left operating square continue the same as in the first row through to its end. The same is done with the last or king row. As there are twelve operating I squares on either opposing side of a checker-board, it follows that the numbers on them range from five in the forward left-hand square to sixty in the rear right-hand square.

The checker-men range frointhe number one, stamped upon the first man, who should be seated on the forward left-hand square, stamped five, on under a constant increased factor of one to the last man, who is stamped or given the number twelve, and who should be placed upon the rear right-hand square, stamped sixty.

Thus each of the twely o checker-men will be placed upon a square of such a number as to equal the multiplicand, or number obtained by multiplying the number of said man by the common factor under which the squares were numbered, in this instance five being such common factor of the numbered checker squares, it follows that each of the men respectively seated upon their squares will be stamped with such a number as, multiplied by five, will produce or equal the number of its appropriate square.

Upon placing the board with its men in playing position, as described, the moves are to be made the same as in a game of checkers proper, and the same code of rules obtains in both cases in this particular; but instead of simply jumping adversaries and thus winning the game by clearing the board of your oppononts men, a score or tally-sheet is to be kept by the players, either in their memory alone or by setting down the figures upon paper or slate. This tally 0r score sheet is to be kept as follows: Upon jumping an adversary, the successful player in such a move is to credit himself with the number marked upon the checkerman thus jumped. In addition 'to this count, it the jumping-checker-man comes down upon a numbered checker-square in the lawful rule of checker-jumping, then the operating player credits himseif also with the number marked upon such square.

Again, it the operating player makes a double jump, he is to be credited with twice the number of the square jumped to, in addition to and independent of the. joint sum of the numbers stamped upon the jumped checker-men-that is, he credits himself with the sum of the numbers stamped upon the two adversaries jumped and taken from. the board, and also he credits himself with twice the number marked upon the square upon which the jumping checker-man rests or seats after the double jump. Ifa triplejum p takes place, then, in addition to the sum of the numbers stamped upon the then-jumped checkers, the player credits himself with thrice the number stamped upon the square upon which he finally rests after the jump. The rule applies in the same ratio for any number of jum ps greater than a triple jump. But if the player rests his checker-man upon a blank square in the middle of the board after jumping an adversary, he only credits himself with the number marked on the adverse checker-man jumped.

Upon one of the players reaching the kingrow of his adversary, he crowns himself king, as usual in checkers, and has the customary right of moving and jumping in either direction.

The man thus made king is placed as the top one of the two checkers forming the kin g-- that is, he is made really the crown-checker, and upon the king being captured the numeral so placed on the top or crown checker is doubled as it is placed to the credit of the successful player. Independent of and in addition to any credits of the foregoing, the following rule also obtains: If a checker, after jumping an adversary, rests upon a square whose stamped numeral is a multiple of the numeral stamped upon the said checker, then the successful player credits himself with the number stamped on the said square. Thus it, in the presumed instance, checker number twelve should rest on square number sixty after jumping, then the player has made a point of sixty, as being the number of the square he rests upon, plus a second point of sixty, since the square rested on after jumping is a multiple of the jumping checker, plus also the number stamped upon the checker so jumped and captured. And if this above-cited play should bea double or triple jump instead of a single one, then twice or thrice, respectively, of the number sixty should still further be added to the score of the successful player of this continuous jump.

It will thus be seen that the game calls for expert and disciplined management in so bringing the playing-checkers into position that heavy tallies, such as the above recently described, may be gained for one, or prevented as against one 5 and it must be productive ot quick though t, clear foresight, and the general cultivation of the mind.

If desired, and in practice, I preferably makethe checker-men as follows In addition to the numerals stamped upon them, I also give to one set the twelve respective names of Christ appearing in the Bible, and to the other set the names of twelve of the leaders in scientific research, to each one of the checkers one of said names.

In playing, the ordinary custom or courtesy which obtains in billiard and other games by which the better of two players gives to the poorer any certain number of points in advance may also be followed in this game. The chances and skill of playing being very soon discovered for any party, this plan of giving, so as to match otherwise unequal players, can very pleasantly be followed.

The player obtaining the greater sum of numbers credited, respectively, to the two parties wins the game. i

It is apparent that in the foregoing description the particular numbers used and the common divisor employed are given only by way of illustration, and that the invention includes any numbers other than those given, any common factor or divisor may be substituted for the one in this instance used.

I desire to be distinctly understood as claiming any numbers or combination of numbers capable of being employed in the game, according to the broad principle exemplified, and which may accord with the rules governing the game.

Having fully described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Let ters Patent, is-

1. A game apparatus consisting of a checker-board having one or more rows of its playing-squares numbered, and of checker-men also numbered, substantially as described.

2. A game apparatus consisting of a checker board and men, a portion of the playingsquares of the board being, respectively, marked with numbers having a common divisor, and the checker men being marked, respectivel y, with numerals such that each number on the'board-s quares is divisible under the common divisor by one of the'numbers on the checker-men, substantiallyas described.

3. The combination, with a checker-board equal portions of whose squares on either 0pposing side are numbered in a constantly-hr creasing series, having a common factor, of checker-men corresponding to each of said opposing sides, and numbered' so that each one of the checker-men may, under multiplication of said common factor, equal the number stamped upon the respective squares, substarr tially as and for the purpose described.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing I have hereunto set my hand this 22d day of January, 1877.

F LEEMAN E. NUTTING. \Vitxiesses:

H. LINCOLN IJARSONS, H. K. PARSONS. 

